Photo Album: The Royal Ballet’s Anna Rose O’Sullivan up close

In June, The Royal Ballet was preparing for a celebratory series of performances to launch Ashton Worldwide.

The Frederick Ashton Foundation is coordinating worldwide performances of Ashton’s works between 2024 and 2028, years that mark the 120th anniversary of Frederick Ashton’s birth in 1904 and the 40th anniversary of his death in 1988.

For the opening night of Ashton Celebrated, Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Taisuke Nakao took the lead roles in Ashton’s Rhapsody. Jonathan Gray, writing for gramilano, said that O’Sullivan “displayed a golden virtuosity and ballerina authority, especially in the rapid footwork and changes of directions in her choreography.”

Dasa Wharton took her camera to the stage rehearsal a couple of days before opening night and caught Anna Rose O’Sullivan preparing in her dressing room, warming up with Nakao in the rehearsal studio, performing Rhapsody, and getting ready to leave the theatre.

Backstage with Anna Rose O’Sullivan

The Dressing Room

Warming Up

The Performance

Going Home

Gramilano Editor

Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.

Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.